I-71/MLK interchange work to begin this summer

Construction of the I-71/Martin Luther King Drive interchange is expected to begin in July.

The Ohio Department of Transportation says Westerville, Ohio-based Kokosing Construction is the apparent low bidder to do the work. The company's bid comes in at $80.8 million.

The reconstruction will create full access to and from the interstate from Martin Luther King Drive.

“This investment in creating a new interchange is vital to the Cincinnati economy and job creation as we work to build a more efficient, effective way to get people and goods where they need to go in a timely and safe manner,” said ODOT Director Jerry Wray in a release.

ODOT writes:

The construction of this interchange will provide full access to and from I-71 at Martin Luther King Drive. In addition, with access to Taft Road and McMillan Street maintained, this new configuration will reduce travel times, improve way-finding to such destinations as the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, and promote economic vitality within the Uptown area, Cincinnati’s second highest employment center and home to the only two Level 1 Trauma Centers in the region.

The project is being delivered using the design-build process that combines design and construction in one contract.